Peggy Skilbeck
Margaret "Peggy" Skilbeck (née Sugden) was the daughter of Annie Sugden and the wife of Matt Skilbeck. Storylines Backstory Peggy Sugden was born on the 28th August 1948 at Emmerdale Farm. She is the second child and only daughter of farmer Jacob Sugden and his wife Annie. Peggy met and married farm labourer Matt Skilbeck in August 1965 when she was 19. In the autumn of 1972 she became pregnant and her father also died of pneumonia. 1972-1973 Peggy was the accountant at Emmerdale Farm and had shares in the farm. She found out she was pregnant and dreamed of swapping the quiet Beckindale village for suburbia. She persuaded Matt to take a job in Bradford. He was ashamed to be called an unskilled labourer so they remained in Beckindale. Matt and Peggy moved into Hawthorn Cottage shortly before the twins were born. Peggy gave birth to twins Sam and Sally Skilbeck on the 16th April 1973. In July that year she was complaining of headaches and went up to bed at 9pm during a party at Hawthorn Cottage. She woke up and as she got up she collapsed and died of a brain haemorrhage at 11pm on the night of the 16th July 1973. She was buried in Beckindale Churchyard next to her father Jacob. Legacy Peggy's legacy would live on. When Matt married Dolly Acaster in June 1978, Peggy was referred to. She was mentioned several times in the coming years. In 1988, when Dolly cheated on Matt, Matt blamed himself partly, as Dolly was his 2nd wife and Matt always saw her the way he saw Peggy. In 1993 when the original farmhouse had to be vacated due to subsidence, Jack reminisced about Peggy. In 1995, Joe Sugden died in a car crash in Spain and had his funeral in Emmerdale. Annie had to bury one more of her children. In 2009, when Jack died aged 61, Annie Sugden said she has buried the last of her children. Background Information *Jo Kendall left the role of Peggy in early 1973. Peggy was killed off in July 1973. *Peggy's headstone, which appears in Episode 104 (16th October 1973) displays her date of death as 12th May 1973. This date would later change to reflect the transmission date of the episode featuring her death - 16th July 1973. *Peggy's birthdate is also inconsistent. Her headstone in Episode 104 says she was born 8th August 1946 but in Episode 716 (25th February 1982) her headstone says she died 16th July 1973 aged 29 years, thus giving a 1943/1944 birthdate . *Peggy’s always been the second oldest making her dob as 28th August 1948. Jack being the oldest making birth year is 1947, Joe being the youngest makes his birth year is 1949 Quotes "Matt, who's she?" (First line (upon seeing Marian Wilks on horseback passing by. This was the first line spoken in Emmerdale) "Well, to be quite honest Janie, I was in two minds about having them christened at all, but it's probably all for t'best, taking into account how t'family feel about it." (Final line) Category:Emmerdale Farm characters Category:Sugden family Category:Skilbeck family Category:1973 deaths Category:1972 debuts Category:1973 departures Category:Original characters Category:Residents of Emmerdale Farm Category:Residents of Hawthorn Cottage Category:1968 marriages Category:1946 births Category:1965 marriages Category:Accountants